Iceland Trip 2023

The geography department is planning an exciting trip to Iceland, one of the most stunning areas in Europe, with its dramatic volcanoes and beautiful waterfalls providing the perfect backdrop for the department’s teaching of the physical and human environment.

This trip will enable students to experience a unique and beautiful geographical area. The aim will be to use the attractions across the island as ‘outdoor classrooms’ in order to look at natural hazards, tourism and the unique geomorphology of the area.  The trip has been designed to cover significant areas of both GCSE and A-Level specifications in order that students might gain directly in preparation for their examinations.

While the trip has been put together with the demands of those sitting Geography in mind I encourage any student at Victoria College who feels they would like to take part in this exciting experience to please join us. 

The all-inclusive cost, based on an attendance of 30 students, will be no more than £1,450 per pupil, payable in with an initial non-refundable deposit of £100 and three instalments of £450. Financial support for the trip is also available by completing the form below and submitting to the school Bursar, Mrs Carolyn Ferguson by email c.ferguson@vcj.sch.je.

Key details

Wednesday 19th July - Saturday 22nd July 2023
Year 8 – Year 13
£1,450 cost (all-inclusive price)

Documents

1st letter to parents + FAQ’s November 2022
2nd letter to parents December 2022
3rd letter to parents January 2023
4th letter to parents April 2023
5th letter to parents June 2023
Draft itinerary 
Government of Jersey - Education Travel Policy
Government of Jersey - Covid Guidance

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If you wish to sign up, please complete the following form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Activities Week – Monday 17th July & Tuesday 18th July

Monday 17thJuly

I am pleased to report that we have teamed up with Jersey Walking Adventures and plan to offer a "Fire and Ice" day on Monday, 17th July staffed by the Geography department, involving a series of walks and talks from both my colleagues and some of the specialist geologist team at Jersey Walking Adventures. 

Time Location Activity
09.30am Small car park (20 meters north of Portinfer Junction). What Three Words ///bells.skill.soothingly Meet
09.35am Start walk Depart
12.30am Arrive L'Etacq Lunch
1:30pm Lewis's Tower Beach games
2:00pm Pupils can depart/can be collected from Lewis's Tower / Jersey Pearl (beach car park). Bus 22 departs at 2:13pm from Jersey Pearl beach car park. Beach games

What is the plan for the days the boys are in Iceland?

Date Time Activity
Day 1

AM
 

PM

EVE

Meet at Jersey Airport - Staff will be at the airport at 5:30am to meet pupils. 

Travel

Arrive Hotel Viking

Day 2

AM
 

PM

EVE

Depart for South Shore adventure day, tour of Skogafoss, Rynisfjar

Depart for Solheimajokull and Selijalansfoss

Return to hotel, dinner and evening activity

Day 3

AM
 

PM
 

EVE

Depart for Golden Circle, tour of Kerid, Gulfoss Geysir and Thingveliir

Flight over Iceland - visit to a VR flight simulator taking pupils on a 3D tour of Iceland

Evening meal in Reykjavik

Day 4

AM

PM

Breakfast in hotel - depart for airport

Return to Jersey

What are the flight details?

  Departure Airport Departure Time Arrival Airport Arrival Time Date

Outbound

JER 07:05 LHR 08:10 19th July
Outbound LHR 13:05 KEF 15:15 19th July
Inbound KEF 07:40 LHR 11:55 22nd July
Inbound LHR 16:15 JET 17:20 22nd July

What is the packing list?

I would encourage everyone to study the weather for July in Iceland carefully. Average temperatures are around 15c, with a relatively low average rainfall of 5 cm over the month.

  • Passport
  • T-Shirts
  • Socks
  • Water bottle
  • Trainers
  • Small Rucksack
  • Toiletries
  • Waterproof Sunglasses
  • Warm jacket
  • Casual trousers
  • Jumpers
  • Swimming Shorts + Towel (we might have a chance to visit the public swimming pool one evening

How much money should they bring?

Breakfast, packed lunch and supper are included (with the exception of a packed lunch on the final day). Spending money is a personal preference; however, pupils might wish to purchase food at the airport on both travel days, and while our final night's meal is also included, pupils might want to buy soft drinks and other options off the stock menu. With the longer evenings, we are likely to take pupils into Reykjavik on at least one evening, and again this might be a chance to purchase souvenirs etc. Much of Reykjavik is cashless, so a debit card is sensible. I would recommend no more that £100 and £40 - £50 should be more than enough.

What is the mobile phone policy?

Pupils in years 7-10 must hand in their mobile phones each evening before bed. From experience, they might wish to bring battery packs, as there will be limited capacity to charge phones while held overnight in staff rooms.

Behaviour expectations

Expectations of behaviour will remain in step with those pupils remaining in school. Any cases of behaviour seen to contravene school rules or policy will be dealt with and could result in pupils remaining supervised in the hotel and missing days or, for the most severe issues, returning home early at the cost of parents. Pupils will receive a briefing on behaviour nearer the time to ensure clarity on expectations.

Is travel insurance included in the price?

Yes – as part of the price we will organise travel insurance. If, for any reason, you feel your son might have a medical issue requiring additional exemptions, don't hesitate to get in touch with Daniel Hodder at d.hodder@vcj.sch.je.

Government of Jersey - Education Travel Policy

What is the Covid travel policy to Iceland?

At the time of writing, there are no restrictions on travel to Iceland linked to Covid. Our travel agent has a Covid policy - https://www.discover-the-world.com/study-trips/covid-assurance/ for more information.

Government of Jersey - Covid Guidance

My son doesn't hold a UK or EU passport. Does he need a visa?

Depending on the nation and passport in question, we might be required to organise an entry visa. This cost would be in addition to the tour price. Please get in touch with me at d.hodder@vcj.sch.je if you have any questions prior to paying the initial deposit.

The Iceland trip only covers part of the activity week. So, what does my son do at the start of the week?

All pupils on the Iceland trip will spend the first two days of activities week at the college taking part in on-site activities in preparation for the trip away on Wednesday.

Mr Townsend is busy cross checking the lists to remove boys from their original choices. Therefore, you are not expected to sign up to and pay any deposits for an Activities Week choice as your son is now confirmed on the Iceland trip. Thank you to all those who have emailed Mr Townsend to clarify this.

Where can I find up-to-date information on the Iceland Trip?

I will ensure any further messages alongside more FAQ's appear on this website page. Additionally, if you have any more l questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at d.hodder@vcj.sch.je.

What clothes should my son travel in?

On arrival in Iceland, we will explore the area around Keflavik airport; I would advise pupils to travel with gear ready to start walking on arrival in Iceland either on their person or in their hand luggage.